A Plaistow woman has been handed a suspended jail term for bigamy that was part of an illegal immigration scam.

Bindaya Dalal, 26, of Stopford Road, was arrested before she was to wed an African student to help him live illegally in the UK.

When he had sought Home Office approval to marry, the application contained her details, photo and signature.

An investigation by the Border Agency discovered she was already twice married – in 2005 at Newham Register Office to a West African and four years later to an illegal immigrant.

She had “simply not got round” to divorcing the other men, Inner London Crown Court heard.

Her latest fiancee was to pay part of the �6,000 bill to sham marriage organiser Ola Kukute, 37. He paid �2,000 but said Dalal tried to exclude Kukute by asking him to pay her �3,000 direct.

Christopher Ware, prosecuting, said: “Dalal and Kukute conspired together to facilitate a breach of the immigration regulations.”

Raana Sheikh, defending, said, since the birth of a son in September, Dalal had turned her life around dramatically.

Recorder Michael Tillett told Dalal her role was “quite far removed” and gave her a three- month jail sentence suspended for 12 months with a six-month community order along with 120 hours of unpaid work.

Dalal admitted bigamy and conspiracy to assist in unlawful immigration.

Kukute, from Dagenham, denied the conspiracy but was found guilty. He was jailed for 18 months.